Inspiration » Archive

I’ve been thinking more about my songwriting process lately, partly because I used to depend heavily on inspiration hitting at the right time (it doesn’t always), and partly because a few friends have asked me about it. I sent versions of this to them and thought I might as well share it here as well.

Before I start writing I like to read and watch movies, kinda fill my mind with words and ideas and themes. Sometimes a scene from a book or movie will move me and I’ll try to work that into a song. (I write about real things too but either way it seems to help to have a bunch of other art swirling around up there.)

I used to wait for inspiration to strike but I’ve found I’m most productive when I pick a certain day of the week and time to write and give myself at least a couple uninterrupted hours to focus. This doesn’t make my writing less inspired, meaningful, or emotional (I avoided any kind of schedule for so long based on this fear), but it does help trick/train my mind into being ready to go. I keep my writing area pretty clear, mostly because I’m easily distracted. Just paper, a pen, my guitar, and coffee or water. I keep my phone handy to record what I’m working on but I keep it on silent and upside-down.

I’ll usually just play around on guitar until I figure out something I like; nothing complex, usually a 2 or 3 chord pattern. Then I start trying out lyrics, whatever comes to me, even if it’s silly or weird. Sometimes a line or a whole verse will come pretty quickly, sometimes it takes awhile, but either way I keep playing the pattern and singing the words I do have until more come. There are almost always words or lines I don’t love but I’ll write them out anyway so I don’t interrupt the process, then go back and edit stuff.

I don’t really follow any format or structure; I don’t worry too much if words don’t rhyme, sometimes my songs don’t have a chorus or anything, just a few verses. Some of my songs are only a few lines long because that’s all they needed.

Even if I’m not liking what I’m writing I try to keep working on it, just for the sake of the process. In some cases I’ll write a not-great song then something better, so maybe it’s like cleaning out my mind.

I always do a quick phone recording when I have a couple lines or a verse down, then again when the song is done (or done for the day/writing session) so if something happens and I get interrupted it doesn’t disappear forever.

I’m sure there’s other stuff I do that I’m not thinking about or maybe not conscious of. I’ll probably update this at some point.

Shout-out to Daisy and Scout for asking me about this and inspiring me to finally write it down and think about it more clearly!

“Gimme a hug!”

It all happened so fast. Before I realized what was going on, EELS bandleader E was headed down the steps into the crowd, giving out hugs like there was no tomorrow. “Go get a hug, Zach!” my dad told me. Being a well-behaved, obedient son (also full of delirious excitement) I shot out of my seat, quickly excusing myself as I maneuvered past the four people between me and the aisle. Somehow I landed in an empty spot just in time to get a quick hug from my musical hero. The Paramount in Austin is a magnificent theatre, beautifully renovated and the perfect venue to see The EELS perform in their current musical arrangement with upright bass, an assortment of percussion and bells, trumpet, guitar, pedal steel, melodica, piano and probably some other stuff I forgot. It seemed like an alternate reality version of EELS with strings Live at Town Hall, with its deeply personal subject matter and carefully crafted arrangements. With THE CAUTIONARY TALES OF MARK OLIVER EVERETT, E openly expresses his desire for others to learn from his mistakes, but there’s more to it than that. The album’s also about his family; “Parallels” could be about his dad or a failed relationship, and my dad astutely pointed out that “Gentlemen’s Choice” could be about E’s father and his then ridiculed – but now appreciated – many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. “Three Ghosts,” as E has said, is about catching up with his mother, father and sister. The EELS cover a lot of ground.

The Austin show was my first time seeing them live. Although I’ve seen and heard a substantial amount of live EELS, nothing could prepare me for the overwhelming excitement of seeing Mark Oliver Everett live. The band entered the stage, opening with the instrumental “Where I’m At,” then E stepped up to the microphone to sing “When You Wish Upon A Star.” We had two sets of tickets and Carrie was kind enough to let my dad and I sit up close while she and my sister Sarah sat further back – by some annoying drunk people, it turns out. My dad and I both love The EELS, and being at this show together was an emotionally overwhelming experience for both of us. I’m surprised we weren’t blubbering like babies the whole time. As E might tell me, “Hey, man, now you’re really living!”

Meeting The Chet, bummer songs, and no hugs

Carrie and I drove to Houston the next day to see The EELS at House of Blues. I was somewhat afraid of spoiling the magic of the Austin show, but it turns out that wasn’t possible. After checking into our hotel (we stayed a short walk from the venue), taking a nap (hey, we were up late celebrating), then exploring downtown Houston, we made it to HOB just in time to see EELS multi-instrumentalist The Chet getting into the tour bus. We had time to kill before the show, so we hung out outside the venue on the off chance of seeing more of the band. The Chet soon reemerged from the bus (no, we weren’t stalking him) and I took the opportunity to say hi. I told him I loved his work with The EELS and his reading of Things The Grandchildren Should Know, trying desperately to not make a fool of myself. He was incredibly friendly and took a few moments to chat even though he obviously had things to do. I didn’t get a hug from E that night, but I did get to meet The Chet, so the night had its own magic. The set lists for Austin and Houston were pretty close, maybe identical, although I don’t remember hearing “3 Speed” in Austin. They played two of my favorites from End Times (an apocalyptic break-up album), “Mansions of Los Feliz” and “A Line in the Dirt,” and what may be the saddest catchy song ever, “Last Stop: This Town” from Electro-Shock Blues.

The live EELS experience was more amazing than I ever could have imagined. E’s sincerity didn’t falter for a second. He was full of jokes and in good spirits, even through a portion of the set he referred to as “bummer songs.” (He’s really good at writing those, but also really good at writing optimistic material.) People desperately shouted requests during their encore set in Houston (I even heard a “Free Bird”), and he said, quite sternly and matter-of-fact, “Not taking requests.” That’s how he works, and that’s part of what makes him such a fantastic artist.